SAVANNAH, GA – Today Georgia Regional Hospital (GRH) at Savannah announced a new partnership with Memorial University Medical Center, Inc. (MUMC) during a public signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU gives GRH/Savannah and the MUMC shared access and resources to provide better quality of care for individuals in the greater Savannah area.

The partnership builds upon statewide efforts by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) to build partnerships allowing local universities with medical programs and psychiatric hospitals to work more closely together. “Our partnership with Memorial University Medical Center is an extension of our commitment to the community and people we serve,” said Frank E. Shelp, Commissioner of the DBHDD. “Everyone in the greater Savannah area will benefit from the steps we have taken here today and we hope this partnership can be used as a model to further extend our resources and education to improve the way we provide care to Georgians throughout the state.”

MUMC will support GRH-Savannah by serving individuals with acute and chronic illnesses such as pneumonia, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The partnership allows doctors and residents from MUMC to provide on-site care while offering educational opportunities for each of the institutions involved. The partnership also allows GRH-Savannah and MUMC to work with Mercer University School of Medicine Savannah Campus to develop a joint psychiatric residency program which would allow GRH-Savannah psychiatrists to serve as academic professors and offer graduating psychiatrists job opportunities in the Savannah area.

“By comprehensively addressing their medical needs, this partnership of Memorial and Georgia Regional Hospital in collaboration with Mercer University School of Medicine will improve the overall care of individuals in our community and the region who suffer from psychiatric illnesses,” said Ramon Meguiar, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer at MUMC. “Additionally, this joint effort will offer opportunities for medical education that will have a significant beneficial impact on our region and the state of Georgia in the future.”

Both hospitals will comply with all aspects of the Privacy and Security Rules of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

This partnership is the second such initiative for DBHDD. In October 2009, the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) took charge of the clinical services at East Central Georgia Regional Hospital.